Prime Ministry Circular No. 2016/27 on Trade Facilitation Board ("Circular") has been published with the Official Gazette dated 03.12.2016. The Circular stipulates a process involving many public institutions and establishments with regard to the adoption of measures to enhance the competitiveness by improving the international trade infrastructure.
- The Circular is intended to fulfill the requirement of establishing a national trade facilitation board in accordance with the Trade Facilitation Agreement signed before the World Trade Organization. In this context, the "Trade Facilitation Board" is established with the aim of providing coordination and cooperation among the relevant institutions in order to contribute to the creation of strategies and action plans for facilitating trade and fulfill our obligations arising out of the Trade Facilitation Agreement.
- The Board is established by the co-chairmanships of Undersecretaries of the Ministry of Customs and Trade and the Undersecretaries of the Ministry of Economy and by the representatives of the Ministers of Science, Industry and Technology, Environment and Urbanism, Foreign Affairs, Economy, Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Customs and Trade, Development, Health, Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ministries, Foreign Economic Relations Board, Presidency of the Administration for the Development and Support of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, the Turkish Exporters Assembly, Turkish Union of Chambers and Exchange Commodities, the International Transportations Division, the International Transport and Logistic Service Creation Department, the Turkish Standards Institute and the Turkish Banking Association and the Customs Consultancy Association.
- According to the Circular, the Board will convene at least twice a year and the operating procedures and principles will be decided on the first meeting.
By Ecem Baglarlıoglu, Junior Associate, and Yigit Parmaksız, Senior Associate, Moral Law Firm
